Welcome to the Awards/Reviews Page
Awards for Lines in the Sand
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Awarded the Pacific Book Review Star for a Memoir of Excellent Merit
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Bronze Medal Winner in the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Voted as one of the Best Reviewed Books by IndieReader in April 2021
Awarded the Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review Seal for Memoir Writing
Awarded the Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review Seal for Memoir Writing
Awarded the Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review Seal for Memoir Writing
Awarded the Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review Seal for Memoir Writing
Awarded the Readers' Favorite Five-Star Review Seal for Memoir Writing
Reviews for Lines in the Sand
IndieReader - Voted as one of the Best Reviewed Books in April, 2021
"...reads beautifully; measured yet flowing and totally absorbing."
Pacific Book Review - Awarded the Pacific Book Review Star for a Memoir of Excellent Merit
"...a powerful story of self-exploration, loss, and heartbreaking anguish."
Readers' Favorite
"Impeccably written, relentlessly engaging, so intimate it hurts, Service’s extraordinary tale is where the reader wants and needs to be."
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
“Raw, even gritty, this is a no holds barred look at army life, and in many ways a cultural commentary, the author never shy with his thoughts and feelings regarding conflict, the greed and apathy of Washington politics, but most importantly, the detrimental impact of war on both sides of the lines.
A compelling insight into ‘going to war’, accessibly written, honest and, in many ways, an eye opener. Highly recommended!” - The Wishing Shelf
N.N. Light's Book Heaven
"...reads like you are being spoken to by a close friend."
- N.N. Light's Book Reviews
Awards for Playing Soldier
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Winner of the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Award for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Finalist in the 2021 National Indie Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Finalist in the 2021 N.N. Light Book Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 N.N. Light Book Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Adult Nonfiction
Finalist in the 2021 IAN Book Awards for Autobiography/Biography
Finalist in the 2021 N.N. Light Book Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Book Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Book Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 N.N. Light Book Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Finalist in the 2021 Book Excellence Awards for Nonfiction Memoir
Reviews for Playing Soldier
IndieReader - Voted as one of the Best Reviewed Books in February, 2021
"Playing Soldier is a gripping memoir of life, war, loss, and recovery that effectively conveys the fear and horror of a shell-shocked veteran who had once romanticized the idea of being a soldier."
Pacific Book Review
"...a true journey of self-discovery, and eventually self-acceptance."
Self-Publishing Review
"Rarely does a memoir feel this raw and immediate, as though some part of the author never left the far-flung places that changed his life forever..."
Readers' Favorite
"Author F. Scott Service offers a candid, raw, and highly emotional slice of the soul in this unforgettable and well-crafted work."
Book Life/Publishers Weekly
"Iraq War veteran Service (Lines in the Sand) delivers a blistering rebuke to the military with this extraordinary war (and peace) memoir."
The Independent Review of Books
"...a savagely honest work, unadulterated by too much self-editing or posturing."
The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
"This is no gung-ho military novel; there’s little in the way of ‘storming the enemy’ here. But what it offers is a thought-provoking, and often eye-opening account of U.S. Army life in Iraq, the futility of war, and the terrible impact it had (and is still having) on many of the former combatants.
Vividly written, honest, and often deeply disturbing, readers on finishing this book will be asking if war is ever truly worth it. A Wishing Shelf recommended read!” - The Wishing Shelf
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